Straight Talk in a Crooked World

Eggless in Seattle

Egg-free people of the world, rejoice! Whether you are eggless by choice, an allergy, an intolerance, or simply an aversion to off-white spherical objects that emanate from fat, feathered fowl, there are viable alternatives to use in recipes.

A conversation today reminded me that I had a couple lists of egg substitutes stashed away in a recipe binder. I can’t take credit for any of these, but have used the egg replacer and applesauce with some success.

The first list, given to a friend at a nutrition class, says that for each egg in a recipe, you can substitute the following ingredients:

1 t. baking powder + 1 T. liquid + 1 T. vinegar

1 t. yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 T. water + 1 1/2 T. oil + 1 t. baking powder

1 packet gelatin + 2 T. warm water (do not mix until ready to use)

1 medium banana

1 T. apricot puree

3 T. pureed apple

Egg replacer made by Ener-G Foods

Another list I have, from a medical newsletter and originally suggested in Vegetarian Journal, Issue Two, 2007, offers the following substitutions for one large egg:

2 T. silken tofu

1/2 c. pureed or mashed ripe banana

1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce

1/4 c. pureed peaches

1/4 c. prune puree (works well with chocolate and carob)

2 T. orange juice concentrate plus 1 T. mashed banana

A comment at the bottom of this list says to try and match the flavor of the substitute you are using to the recipe you’re making. It also says that you should try out the substitute first before you make the recipe for others.

Eggs are a hot topic this time of year since it’s traditional to color Easter eggs. Some egg allergic people do color eggs but don’t eat them. Those who have mild contact allergies to eggs often wear gloves to do so. People with an anaphylactic reaction to eggs should probably stay far away from them as reactions can be life-threatening.

On either Celiac.com or in a FAAN newsletter– I can’t remember which– I saw a product called Eggnots mentioned, https://www.eggnots.com/Default.asp. These are ceramic eggs that can be dyed like real ones. They’re not cheap– they cost almost $16 a dozen– but they’re also long-lasting, so won’t emit the same smell as the errant Easter orb that decomposed inside my grandparents’ piano for a year.

While I’m on the subject of huevos, I might as well copy the list of egg-containing foods to avoid that my friend passed onto me from that class:

albumin

apovitellin

avidin

Bernaise sauce

dried eggs

eggnog (Rice Dream makes a fabulous safe one called Rice Nog though)

eggnog solids

egg substitutes such as Egg Beaters

flovoprotein

frozen eggs

globulin (wasn’t that one of those ugly dudes in The Lord of the Rings?)

Hollandaise sauce

imitation egg product

livetin (it’s alive!!)

lysozyme

macaroni egg noodles

mayonnaise (Vegenaise is better! And there’s a soy-free version out!)

meringue

ovalbumin

ovoglobulin (the globulin overlord?)

ovomucin (sounds nasty…)

ovomucoid (even worse)

ovovitelin (wasn’t this in an episode of I Love Lucy?)

Simplesse

surimi

So, eggless compatriots, you may have to avoid eggs in all forms, but you don’t necessarily have to stop making recipes that require eggs or forego dyeing eggs this weekend. Mix it up, live a little, try something new! As C.S. Lewis said, “we are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”